Brown



'Apfil 14, 1959 T. BROWN REVERSIBLE RATCHET DRIVE uscwmrsu Original iledApril 10, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. rnzopmws Bmmy ATTORNEYS April14, 1959 T. BROWN Re. 24,629

' REVERSIBLE RATCHET DRIVE MECHANISM Qriginal F}led April 10, 1953 I 3Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. THE OPHIL US BROW A A T TOPNE YS April 14,1959 TTBRDWN I M 4, 29 EVER I LE RATCHET DRIVE uscx-mursu v I 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed April 10, 1955 INVENTO THEOPH/L us 5ATTORNEYS United States Patent REVERSIBLE RATCHET DRIVE MECHANISMTheopbilus Brown, Moline, lll., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Deere& Company, a corporation of Delaware Original No. 2,769,641, datedNovember 6, 1956, Serial No. 348,041, April 10, 1953. Application forreissue October 7, 1957, Serial No. 689,025

18 Claims. (Cl. 275-) Matter enclosed in heavy brackets II] appears inthe original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification;matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

This invention relates to a manure spreader and more particularly toreversible feed mechanism therefor.

The typical manure spreader is in the form of a wagon or trailer,normally drawn by a tractor or other vehicle over a field, and having arear end through which manure is discharged by heater and distributormeans. The floor of the body of the spreader has a normallylongitudinally rearwardly movable apron or equivalent feeder foradvancing the manure in increments to the discharging and distributingbeaters.

Because of the present day practice of loading the spreader by a powerloader, the manure is heaped into the body in much larger chunks thanwhen pitched in by hand, and very often these chunks are so large andcompacted as to overload the beater means. Particularly when thesechunks are frozen or otherwise excessively compacted, they will causethe beater means to stop. Since the beater derives its power from eitherthe towing tractor or directly from the spreader wheels, the overload,if it does not cause damage, requires that the machine be stopped untilthe obstructing chunk can be broken up. Obviously, this is a laborioustask, as well as being time constu'ning.

According to the present invention, reversible drive mechanism for theapron or feed means is used to give the operator mechanism for reversingthe apron when overloads occur. In other words, the apron normally runsso that it feeds the manure rearwardly to the beater and distributormeans. With the mechanism provided by the present invention, theoperator can reverse the direction of movement of the feeder andconsequently he can move the load away from the beater and distributormeans. If the load is not too compact, it is possible that the spreadermay be again started, running only the beater and distributing meansuntil the discharge end is cleared and then advancing the load moreslowly so as to enable the heaters to break up the large chunks. If thechunk or chunks are of such size as to render impossible the foregoingprocedure, at least the reversely moving apron will serve to bring thecompacted portion of the load out where it is more readily accessible tobreaking up manually.

It is an important object of the invention to utilize the reversingmechanism in such a manner that it may be readily adapted to spreadersof existing types without materially altering the basic construction ofsuch spreaders. It is also an object of the invention to produce areversing mechanism that is simple in construction and easy to maintain.

A further object of the invention relates to the coordination of thecontrol of the reversible means and the means for driving the heaters.When an overload occurs, it is desirable to disconnect the drive to theheaters, particularly when the heaters are driven from one of thespreader Wheels. This will relieve part of the draft load on thespreader so that it may be drawn "ice forwardly to utilize that powerfor moving the apron in a non-feeding or reverse direction. Accordingly,the control members respectively for the reversible feed drive means andthe beater means are coordinated so that the beater drive means mustfirst be disconnected before the feed drive means can be reversed. It isa further feature of the invention to use the coordinating means justreferred to to prevent normal feeding operation of the feed means untilthe beater control member is first moved to its run position. Again, itis an object of the invention to adapt the coordinated control tospreaders of existing types.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable featuresencompassed by and inherent in the invention will become apparent as apreferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in detail in thefollowing description and accompanying sheets of drawings in which Fig.1 is a perspective view of a typical spreader.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the right-hand rear portion of thespreader, the right-hand rear wheel having been omitted in the interestsof clarity.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the reversible step-bystep mechanism forthe feeder or apron.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, the viewbeing taken generally in the direction of the arrow bearing theencircled numeral 4.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view as seen along the line 5-5 ofFig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the coordinated controllevers.

Fig. 7 is a somewhat schematic view representing a cross section takenthrough a front portion of the body and illustrating the mounting of thecontrol levers and their associated part-s.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the relationship of the levers to thedrive means that they respectively control.

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken through the rear axle of thespreader and showing the manner in which the beater and feed meansrespectively derive their power from the spreader rear .wheels.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, as seen on the line1010 of Fig. 9.

Directional expressions (e.g., front, rear, right, left, top, bottom)are used in the specification and claims as words of convenience and notof limitation, except as particularly specified. Likewise, the specificdisclosure is exemplary and not exclusive of equivalent variationswithin the spirit of the invention.

The spreader chosen for purposes of illustration is not materiallydifferent in fundamentals from spreaders of several well-known designs.That selected here is of the tractor-drawn type having a main body 20carried on a transverse rear axle 22 on which are journaled rightandleft-hand wheels 24 and 25. Connection to a tractor (not shown) may beconventionally made by a forwardly extending draft tongue 26. Thisspreader is therefore in the form of a two-wheeled trailer and the bodyhas a closed front end 28 and an open rear end designated generally bythe numeral 30. The body also includes a bottom or floor 32 over whichmoves the upper run of an endless-belt type conveyor or feed means 34,commonly known as an apron.

Familiarity with the general basic characteristics of spreaders isassumed. Accordingly, the description of such components will be rathergeneral and brief. As is well known, the apron 34 may comprise a pair oftransversely spaced, longitudinally running chains 36 and 37cross-connected by a plurality of transverse slats 38. When the body isloaded with manure, and when the apron is driven so that its upper runtravels rearwardly, or

toward the discharge end- 30 of the spreader; the bodycontained manurewill be moved in such rearward direction to be distributed. Distributionis facilitated by beater means 40" and a wide s'p r'afd anger 42; bothof which may be ofconven'tional construction The beater means comprisesa lower beater 44 and an upper beater 46. These be'at'ers -are-c arried'respectively on lower and upper shafts 48' and 50'. The-purpose of the"heaters is to disintegrate the manu'reas it approaches so that themanure is broken up into smaller portions for easier wide-spreaddistribution by'theauger 42.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the auger is carried on a transverse shaft 52that projects at the right-hand side of. a rear portion of the spreader?The shaft at this portion has keyed thereto a sprocket '4 about which istrained a driVing chaih-SGL This cha is trained inj turn about asprocket" 58 keyed1to the-lo beater shaft 48 Tli'ej -rear axle 22 haskeyed thereto: at" aright-hand end portiori thereof just inwardly of"theright -hand when 24? a owe'r input sprocket 601 N. driving chain- 621is trained about a second sprocket 64 keyed to the lower beater shaft 48and has its lower run trained over an upper portion of the: power inputsprocket 60.- Theremainder of the chain- 62 is carried'by' appropriateidler's 66*and.

68. When the lower run of the chain 62 is'in engagement with thesprocket 60,- the chain will be driven as the spreader advances.

As best illustrated in Fig.- 9, the axle 22; and accordingly th'esprocket 60; receives power from the Wheel via a suitable one-way'oroverrunning' clutch, designated here by the numeral. 70. Thespr'ocket'60" has a hub 72 formed integral therewith, and this hub has apair of pivoted'pawls 7'4 engageable with the toothed or notched innerperiphery 76 of a drum 78 coaxial and rotatable with the'wheel'24. Aslong asthe wheel 24'isrolling in a forward directiomthepawls 74serveas-driving means between the drum 78' and the sprocket hub 72, thenotched periphery 76 being formed in such manner that drive will not betransmitted when the Wheel 24 is reversed; or when the wheel 24 isoverrun by the axle 22 because of the faster driving of the axle 22 bythe'lefthand wheel: 25 aswhen the spreader is turning to the right;

The axle 22 is additionally driven by the left-hand wheel 25, assuggested above". The driving means includes an overrunning clutch,designated generally by the numeral 71, very similar. to that previouslydescribed. This clutchincludes. a centralhu-b 73; keyed to the axle 22,and an outerdrum 79 formed integralwith the hub of: the wheel'25' andhaving anotch'edinner periphery 77 whichis engageable with pawls 75 aslong as the whjeel- 25' is running forwardly o'r' as'long as the wheel25 is not overrun by the axle2-2'as when the spreader is turning .to thelet As. already described,- tlie heaters 44 and 46 and the auger 42' arerotated-by mechanism deriving its power from-the right-handwheel'24. Thedrive to the upper beater 50 is established'bymeans of suitablesprockets and a chain (not shown) at the left-hand side of the" machineand covered in Fig. l by a shield 81. These details-are, however, notimportant, and further elabora tion is deemed unnecessary.

As is. conventional-,- the feed' means or apron 34' is carried at itsfront and-rear ends on appropriate transverse shafts and sprockets. Sucha shaft is illustrated at.82 in Fig.2 for the rear end-of the feedmeans. A

similar shaft at the front end of the feedmeans'is not illustrated, butits presence'can'be' readily inferred on the basisof.conventionahdesign. Apartfrom unconven-- tionalamachines;designedespeciallyas' self-loaders, aprons in' spreaders: of theconventional typaheretoforehiownhave been. driven iinonlyone' direction;thatis, a direction-:in which the. upper runtravels rearwardly tocarry'the' body-contained. manure to the-heaters 44 and '46. Con ventionand experience have dictated'th'e useof mere mental feedingmechanismnormal'ry in the form of stepby-step means or pawl and ratchetdrive means. In the interests of retaining the features of conventionaldesign, as well as adding thereto the important features of the presentdesign; the invention utilizes H reversible stepby-step means, bestshown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 The pawl and ratchet wheel mechanism has beenadopted in the preferredfo'rrn of the invention. I

As best shown in the figures just referred to, this mechanism includesratchet wheel means, designated generally by the numeral 83, andcomprising first and second ratchet wheels and87, keyed in coaxialrelationship to the rearapron or feed means shaft 82, which shaft thusconstitutes power input means for the feed means" or. apron 34. As'bes'tshown in Figs. 3 and 5, the teeth of the'o'uter ratchetwheel 85 point ina circumferentia'l counterclockwise direction, whileth'e teeth of theinner ratchet wheel 87 point in a; circumferential clockwise direction.All this mechanism is enclosed by the'shiel'd 81" in- Fig. I but'therelationship of the ratchet wheel means83 to the'driv ing axle 22 can berecognized from Fig. 5", but it' must'be appreciated that the view inFig. 5' is seen; from the right along the line 5 5 of'Fig; 4.

The hub73of the left-handone-way clutch 71 has an integral"portion"8 9(Fig. 9) extending to the right. This portion is in the form of aneccentric (Fig. 5) encircled by a collar 91 to which is rigidl y afiixda reciprocating means in the form of a pitrnan 93. The other end of thepitman is pivotally connected at route upper end of a driving'mernb'eror pawlcarrier T he pawl carrier is journaledon the apron orfeed means shaft 82. Thus, as the pit'man 93 is 're'ciprocated'byrotationof the eccentric 89, the pawl carrier 97' is oscillated aboutits pivot on the apron shaft'82. H

The pivot pm 95 that connects the pitman' 93 to the awl carrier 97"e'xte'nds outwardly or to the left along an" axis parallel'to the axisof theapron shaft 82 and pivotally receives the upper end of an arm 99 thatmay, for allpractic'al pnrpdse's,becorisidered part of the pawl carrier97'." This' arm is pivoted" at its lower end to the apron or feed meansshaft 82. The pin 95 serves as means for the coaxial mounting of firstand second drive' means inftlie'forin offir'st'aind second pawls"101'and 103. Thepa'wl'101' extends in acirc'umferential" clockwisedirection' and thus is adapted'toengage'the teeth on the outerratchet"wheel85. The pawl'1'03 extends in the opposite direction"andisengage'able with the teeth of the inner ratchet wheel87,'-the pawlsbeing axially offseton} the order'ofthe a'xi'al offset of thera'tclie't'wheels' 85 and 87. The 'upper'end of'the arrays isbifurcated'at 105 and 107 to provide respectively'for' thespring loadingor biasing of the pawlsf'101 and103 'as at"109 and 111'. V

The" driving mechanism 83 incliides 'pawli-c0ntrol means,designatedgenerally by the numeral 113. This means takes' the' forin ofa" bell crank having first and'se'cond arm's '115 and 117; th'e arm-11s"having an arc'uate flange 11? providedwit'h' axially offset portions 121and 123 respectively 'unde'r'lying the pawlsIM-and 103. The other arm117 has a relatively short'er arcuate' flange 125 for a purpose tobe'presently' described;

The control element 113 is journaled or rockable'on the apron shaft 82and its angular positionrelative to th'e'p'awls' 101"a'nd103isadjustable through the medium of a control rod127" that extends"forwardly to a pivotal connection- 129 with "the upperend of a controlarm 131. The lower end of the arm '13 1 isk'eyedto' a transverserocksh'a'ft 133"journ'aled"in"a bearing 135 in the left-hand side wallof the spreader body and journaledat its inner end in-abearingl37suitably'supported by a bracket 139 adjacent 'a midpoint of thespreader body.

A" control'lever' or member 141" is fixed'at its lower end to therockshaft 133 and extends upwardly through a slot 143 "in an arcu'a'tecontrol plate 145 Ignoringfor the moment other'det'ails and assumingfor. the YQQIE IY llat-"the'cOiit-ttillever"141"is rockable" M t)through a range between its position in Fig. 6 and the position it wouldoccupy when coincident with a lower most notch 147 at one edge of theslot 143, motion will be transmitted through the control rod 127 to thecontrol means 113 to adjust the arcuate positions 121 and 123 thereonwith respect to the pawls 101 and 103. The edge of the slot 143 in whichthe notch 147 is formed is provided with a plurality of other notches149 for selectively fixing the position of the control lever 141.

When the control lever 141 is in the position shown in Fig. 6, theangular position of the control means 113 relative to the pawls 101 and103 is such that neither of the pawls can engage either of the ratchetwheels. In other words, the arcuate portions 121 and 123 are pawlliftingmeans. Accordingly, as the eccentric 89 rotates, reciprocationtransmitted through the pitman 93 to the driving member 97 merelyoscillates the driving member and the points of the pawls riderespectively on the arcuate portions 121 and 123. Since reciprocation ofthe pitman 93 is uniform-that is, its opposite strokes are equalthecontrol means 113 must be adjusted to vary the amount of this motionthat will be transmitted to the ratchet wheel means 83. For thispurpose, the control lever 141 may be set in any one of the notches 149or even in the notch 147 for maximum angular movement of the ratchetwheel means 83 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3(counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 5). At this point, it should benoted that there is a notch (not shown) in the slot 143 corresponding tothe position of the control lever 141 in Fig. 6. The lever has asuitable detent means 151 for positioning the lever selectively in anyone of the notches. The principle of adjusting an arm on which ismounted an arcuate flange for controlling engagement of a pawl with aratchet wheel is not new, being illustrated in U.S. Patent 1,215,614.What is involved is briefly that the arcuate flange 121 is interposedbelow the pawl 101 in varying amounts, so that when the maximum amountof flange 121 is interposed between the ratchet wheel 85 and the pawl101, the pawl will merely ride on the flange, and when a minimum amountof flange is interposed between the pawl and ratchet wheel, the pawlwill more quickly engage the ratchet teeth so that a greater portion ofthe oscillation of the arm 97 will be transmitted to the ratchet wheel85.

During driving of the ratchet wheel 85 in such direction as to move theapron in a rearward or feeding direction, the flange 123 is keeping thepawl 103 out of engagement with the other ratchet wheel 87. The arcuateflange 123 is designed for that purpose.

Also, as previously described, the control means 113 has the secondarm'117 on which the arcuate flange 125 is formed. This arcuate flangeis for the purpose of controlling a pair of holding pawls 153 and 155.These pawls are coaxially mounted on a shaft 157 that extends outwardlyfrom a bracket 159 secured to the left-hand side of the spreader body20. Rigid on the shaft 157 is an arcuate member 161 which backs up apair of biasing means or springs 163 and 165 which act respectively onthe pawls 153 and 155. When the mechanism is set for driving the apronin its feeding direction, the holding pawl 155 is kept out of engagementwith the ratchet wheel 87, and only the holding pawl 153, which engagesthe ratchet wheel 85, is eflective. The purpose of the holding pawls is,of course, to prevent retrograde movement of the particular ratchetwheel being driven.

The feed-control lever 141 has an additional range of movement (Fig. 6),the arcuate slot 143 being extended rearwardly at 167. When the lever141 is moved through the range between its position as shown in Fig. 6and the rear end of the slot 167, force is transmitted from therockshaft 133, arm 131 and control rod 127 to the pawlcontrol means 113.During this range of movement, the pawl 101 is kept out of engagementwith the ratchet wheel 85 and the pawl 103 is freed or permitted toescape ratchet wheel 87 is reversed relative to the ratchet wheel- 85,the reciprocating motion of the pitman 93 will cause rotation of theapron shaft 82 in a reverse direction (counterclockwise as viewed inFig. 3, and clockwise as viewed in Fig. 5). Thus, any excessive loadimposed on the heaters by the rearwardly moving quantity of manure maybe relieved by removing the quantity of manure forwardly, at leastsufiiciently to enable the heaters to disintegrate the proximate manurewhen the heaters are restored to operation, or in any event to make morereadily accessible to the operator the load of manure so that he canbreak it up with a shovel or fork.

Since it is not particularly important that the increment of reversefeed be adjusted, there are no notches along either side of theextension 167 of the slot 143. However, the operator is made "aware ofthe reverse range of movement by means of a headed pin 169 surrounded bya compression spring 171 carried by the front wall of the body. Theheaded end of the pin. 169

is engageable with the rear portion of the lever 141 as the lever 141 ismoved rearwardly. Thus, the means 169171 constitutes yieldable meansaflording resistance to movement of the lever 141 in that range of theslot 143 comprising the slot extension 167.

During reverse operation of the apron, the holding pawls 153 and 155 arecontrolled by the arcuate flange portion 125 on the arm 117 of thepawl-control means 113.

The drive means for the heaters 44 and 46 and the auger 42 isselectively engageable and disengageable by beater-control meanscomprising a chain lifter 172. The chain lifter comprises an arm 174pivoted on the axle 22 just inwardly of the drive sprocket 60 (Figs. 2and 9). The chain lifter 172 is efiective, when moved forwardly or in aclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, to lift the lower run of thechain 62 from the driving sprocket 60, thus disconnecting the drive tothe heaters 44 and 46 and the auger 42.

Rocking of the chain lifter 172 is accomplished by means of a forwardlyextending control rod 176 connected at its rear end to the chain lifterarm 174 and connected at its forward end to an intermediate arm 178keyed to a transverse rockshaft 180 that is shown as being coaxial withthe feed control rockshaft 133; although, the construction may beotherwise. As shown in Fig. 7, the rockshaft 180 is supported adjacentits outer end in a bearing 182 and at its inner end in a bearing 184supported in any appropriate manner as by a bracket 186. Abeater-control member or lever 188 is fixed at its lower end to an innerportion of the rockshaft 180 and extends upwardly alongside thefeed-control lever 141, passing through an arcuate slot 190 parallel tobut not coextensive with the slot 143. The lever 188 is equipped with aconventional detent or release means 192, the lower portion of which isselectively engageable with either of two notches 194 and 196 for fixingthe position of the-lever 188 at either end of the slot 190. The slot190 terminates substantially at the midpoint of the adjacent slot 143,so that the control levers 141 and 188 are in' side-by-side relationship(Fig. 6) when both the feed drive means .and the beater drive means aredisengaged or disconnected. In other words, when the feed-control lever141 is in its intermediate position as shown in Fig. 6, the pawl-controlmeans 113 is so positioned as to confine both drive pawls 101 and 103against engagement with either of the ratchet wheels 85 or 87, so thatreciprocation of the pitman 93 does not transmit motion to the ratchetwheel means 83. Also, when the beater-control lever 188 is fixed inposition by engagement of the detent means 192 with the upper orrearward notch 194, as shown in Fig. 6, the chain lifter 172 is movedforwardly from its position shown in Fig. 2 so as to raise the lower runof the chain 62 from the driving sprocket 60. Thus, the spreader may betowed simply as a wagon and the axle 22 is rotated as the wheels 24 and25 rotate, and no 7 drive. is transmitted to any of. the operatingmechanisms. Thecon'nection of the wheels 24 and 25. to the drivingmechanism may be other than that indicated, and it should be borne inmind that. although Fig. 9 shows the axle 22 as being journaled inbearings 198 and 199 carried by the body 20, variations may be resortedto without departingfrom theprinciples of the present invention.

It is desirable that the operation of the feed means be coordinated withthat of the beater means; Accordingly, the control levers 141 and 188are equipped with interlock means, designated generally by the numeral200 and preferably comprising an arcuate forward extension 201 and ashorter .rearward extension 203 connected to or rigid with thefeed-control lever 141 (Fig. 6'); The forward extension 201 is bentinwardly at its'.-front end portion at 205 to provide a lugor stop, anda second lug or stop 207 is formed by an inwardly turned rear portion ofthe rearward extension 203; The: spaced apart relationship of the lugs205 and 207 provides lost-motion limit means which functions in a mannerto be presently described.

. As will be seen, the lugs 205 and 207 project across the path ofmovement of the beater-control lever 188 as that lever is moved betweenits notches 194 and 196, the lug. 207 projecting behind thebeater-control lever 188 and the lug 205 projecting in front or ahead ofthe beatercontrol lever 188.

As described above, when the levers are in their sideby-side positionsas shown in Fig. 6, neither the apron nor the boaters are driven. Thus;the feed-control lever 141 is in what may be termed a neutral position,the feed means or apron being idle. The lever 141 is movable forwardlyto what may be termed a feed position and is further movable rearwardlyor in the opposite direction from its neutral. position to what may betermed a reverse position. The beater-control lever 188 has only twopositions: That shown in Fig. 6, which is a stop position (since theheaters and auger are idle) and a forward position in which the detentmeans 192 engages the forward n'otch 196, in which case the lever 188 isin a run position (establishing drive to the heaters and auger). Theselegends are used in the sche matic illustration in Fig; 8, which isdesigned fundamentally to illustrate that both pawls 101 and 103 arekept out ,of engagement with the ratchet wheel means 83 by the arcuateportions 121. and 123 respectively on the pawl-control means 113.Likewise, the lower run of the chain 62 is shown as being keptout ofengagement with the sprocket 60 by the chain lifter 172. Dotted lineshave been used to represent the ratchet wheel means 83 and sprocket 60in the interests of clarity so that the controlling parts may be morereadily seen.

Because of the detent means151 on the lever 141 and the detent means 192on the lever 188, the levers are fixable or settable in certainpositions. For example, the lever 141 is settable in a plurality ofpositions between that shown in Fig. 6 and the position the leveroccupies when the detent means 151 engages the forward notch 147. Thelever 188 has two fixable or settable positions represented by thenotches 194 and 196.

Inasmuch as the lever 188 obstructs the lug 207 when the lever 188 is inits stop position as shown in Fig. 6, the feed-control lever 141 cannotbe moved forwardly. In other words, the lever 188 must first be movedforwardly to its run position before the feed-control lever 141 can bemoved to any of its forward positions. This insures that the beater willbe stated before the apron and avoids moving the load up against theidle or stationary heaters.

Whenthe beater-control lever 188 is in its run position, in which casethe detent 192 is "engaging the forward notch 196, foreand-aft swingingmovement of the feed-control, lever 141 is confined to the first arcuateportion of the slot 143,.because the lever 188, in its run position,will engage the limit means afiorded by the front: lug 205 on theextension 2.01- of the: feedicon-trol lever 141. Accordingly, the aproncannot be reversed while the heaters are: operating. Stated otherwise,the heaters must first be disengaged before the apron can be reversed.This is important when it is considered that both the heaters and thefeed apron are driven by the wheels 24 and 25. For example, in the eventof a substantial overload on the operating mechanism, the entire unit,comprising the tractor and spreader, may be caused to stall.Accordingly, if the heaters can be disengaged, this much of the load isrelieved, making forward movement of the tractor and spreaderconsiderably easier so that sufficient power is available for reversingtheapron. When the detent means 151 on the lever. 141 is held inreleased position, and the beater-control. lever 188 is in its stopposition, the lever 141 may be swung throughout substantially the entirerange of: the slot 143 and its rearward extension 167. During the.latter'portion of the range, the operator will feel the resistance setup. by the means 169-471, so that heknows when he is operating in thereverse range. If he holds the lever 141 in its rearward or reverseposition, the lug or stop 205 interfers with forward movement of thebeatercontrol lever 188. Thus, the beater-control lever 188 cannot bemoved to its run position while the lever 141 is in its reverseposition. However, as soon as the feedcontrol lever 141 is restored toits neutral position, the beater may be operated as before.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the arm 97 comprises a pawlcarrier supported by the spreader body for reciprocation adjacent to theratchet wheels and 87 and that it carries the first and second axiallyoffset pawls 101 and 103 which extend respectively in circumferentiallyopposite directions so as to engage the ratchet Wheels 85 and 87. Thepawls are biased for engagement with the respective ratchet wheels butat times are held out of engagement by the first and second pawl-liftingmembers comprising the pawl-control flanges 121 and 123. These twomembers are interconnected by being formed integral with the singlepawl-control means 113. The pawl carrier 97 is reciprocated by thepitrnan 93. Stated otherwise, the pawls 101 and 103 constitute pawlmeans selectively engageable with the ratchet wheel means so that in onesetting, the pawl 101 is effective in one direction of reciprocation toengage the ratchet wheel 85 and in its opposite direction to ratchetover that wheel. Meanwhile, the pawl 103 is idle. In the other settingof the pawl-control means, the pawl 103 is effective on the forwardstroke of the member 97 to engage the teeth in the ratch wheel 87 but onthe. rearward stroke the pawl 103 ratchets over the teeth of the wheel87. Broadly, the pitman 93 and the arm 97 constitute drive means and theratchet wheel means 83v constitutes driven means.

Fundamentally, the feed means or apron is drivable in either a rearwardor a forward direction by the reversible step-by-step mechanismparticularly shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This mechanism derives its powerfrom the reciprocating means 93-97 in such manner that rearward stokesof the reciprocating means are effective to drive the apron in arearward direction and forward strokes of the reciprocating means areeffective to drive the apron in a forward direction. The pawl-controlmeans in er operation with the pawls renders the drive mechanismselective at the will of the operator through the medium of theinterlocking control levers 141 and 188:

Other features and advantages of the invention not specificallyenumerated herein will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the artwithout further elaboration here.

What is claimed is:

1. In a manure spreader: a longitudinal body having a discharge end andincluding a floor alongv which manure is fed to said discharge end; anendless-belt type feeder apron running lengthwise. of the body with itsupper run overlying the floor; reversible drive means supported by hespreader body and engaging the apron and including an input shaft; firstand second coaxial toothed ratchet wheels keyed to the input shaft andrespectively having their teeth pointing in circumferentially oppositedirections; a pawl carrier supported by the spreader body forreciprocation adjacent to the ratchet wheels and in a path transverse tothe axis of the ratchet wheels; means conuected to and for reciprocatingthe pawl carrier; first and second axially offset pawls pivotallycarried by the pawl :arrier and extending respectively incircumferentially opposite directions and respectively biased to engagethe teeth of the first and second ratchet wheels; a first pawlliftingmember shiftably mounted on the spreader body and operatively connectedto the first pawl to selectively effect engagement and disengagement ofsaid first pawl and first ratchet wheel; a second pawl-lifting membershiftably mounted on the spreader body and operatively connected to thesecond pawl to selectively effect engagement and disengagement of saidsecond pawl and second ratchet wheel; and means interconnecting thepawl-lifting members for simultaneously shifting either pawl-liftingmember to pawl-disengaging position and the other pawllifting member topawl-disengaging position.

2. In a manure spreader: a manure-containing body having opposite ends,one of which is a discharge end; beater means carried by the body at itsdischarge end for engaging body-contained manure to distribute suchmanure outwardly of said discharge end; feed means carried by the bodyand arranged for movement selectively in a feed direction to feedbody-contained manure toward the discharge end and heater means or in areverse direction to carry such manure toward the opposite end of thebody and away from the beater means; ratchet wheel means journaled onthe body and drivingly connected to the feed means; reciprocating meanscarried by the body adjacent to the ratchet wheel means and reciprocablein first and second opposite strokes; pawl means carried by thereciprocating means for reciprocation therewith, said pawl means beingselectively settable relative to the drive means and ratchet wheel meansin a first position to alternately engage and ratchet over the ratchetwheel means respectively on the first and second strokes of the drivemeans for rotating the ratchet wheel means in one direction, or in asecond position to alternately engage and ratchet over the ratchet wheelmeans respectively on the second and first strokes of the drive meansfor rotating the ratchet wheel means in the opposite direction; andmeans shiftable on the body and connected to the pawl means for settingthe pawl means selectively in its aforesaid first and second positions.

3. In a manure spreader: a longitudinal body having a discharge end andincluding a floor along which manure is fed to said discharge end; anendless belt type feeder apron running lengthwise of the body with itsupper run overlying the floor; reversible drive means supported by thespreader body and engaging the apron and including an input shaft; firstand second coaxial toothed ratchet wheels keyed to the input shaft andrespectively having their teeth pointing in circumferentially oppositedirections; a driving arm journaled on the input shaft axis andextending radially to an outer end portion adjacent to the peripheriesof the ratchet wheels; means connected to and for reciprocating the arm;first and second axially offset pawls pivoted coaxially to the outer endportion of the arm and extending respectively in circumferentiallyopposite directions and respectively biased to engage the first andsecond ratchet wheels; and a pawl control element rockable on the inputshaft axis and having first and second arcuate pawl-engaging portionsofiset both axially and angularly to respectively engage with the firstand second pawls, said control element having a neutral position inwhich the first and second arcuate portions respectively intervenebetween the first and second pawls and the ratchet wheels, and saidcontrol element being rockable selectively in opposite directions toeither side of its neutral position to free one pawl from one arcuateportion for engagement with its associated ratchet wheel while retain-.ing intervention of the other arcuate portion between the other pawl andthe other ratchet wheel.

4. In a manure spreader: a longitudinal body having a discharge end andincluding a floor along which manure is fed to said discharge end; anendless-belt type feeder apron running lengthwise of the body with itsupper run overlying the floor; reversible drive means supported by thespreader body and engaging the apron and including an input shaft; firstand second coaxial toothed ratchet wheels keyed to the input shaft andrespectively having their teeth pointing in circumferentially oppositedirections; reciprocating means carried by the body adjacent to theratchet wheels and reciprocable in first and second opposite strokes;first and second pawls pivoted to the reciprocating means in axiallyoffset relationship according to the axial offset of the ratchet wheelsand extending respectively in circumferentially opposite directions andrespectively biased to engage the first and second ratchet wheels; andpawl control means adjustably settable on the body in first and secondpositions, said control means being engageable in its first positionwith the first pawl to lift said pawl from the first ratchet wheel whileleaving the second pawl in biased engagement with the second ratchetwheel for effecting rotation of the input shaft in one direction onfirst strokes of the reciprocating means and engageable in its secondposition with the second pawl to lift said second pawl from the secondratchet wheel while effecting return of the first pawl to its biasedengagement with the first ratchet wheel for effecting rotation of theinput shaft in the opposite direction on second strokes of thereciprocating means.

5. In a manure spreader: a manure-containing body having opposite ends,one of which is a discharge end; beater means carried by the body at itsdischarge end for engaging body-contained manure to distribute suchmanure outwardly of said discharge end; feed means carried by the bodyand arranged for movement selectively in a feed direction to feedbody-contained manure toward the discharge end and beater means or in areverse direction to carry such manure toward the opposite end of thebody and away from the beater means; and reversible step-by-stepmechanism for selectively driving the feed means in either of theaforesaid directions, said mechanism including a driven element movableon the body and connected to the feed means, reciprocating means carriedby the body for reciprocation in first and second opposite strokesadjacent to the driven element, first and second driving means connectedto the recip rocating means and selectively drivingly engageable withand disengagcable from the driven element; and control means shiftableon the body and operatively connected to the two driving means forsetting in a first position effecting engagement of the first drivingmeans with and disengagement of the second driving means from the drivenelement to connect the reciprocating means to the driven element on onlythe first strokes of said reciprocating means, and in a second positionetfecting engagement of the second driving means with and disengagementof the first driving means from the driven element to connect thereciprocating means to the driven element on only the second strokes ofsaid reciprocating means.

6. In a manure spreader: a mobile fore-and-aft extending body havingfront and rear ends and adapted to contain manure, said rear endcomprising a discharge outlet; beater means movably carried by the bodyat its discharge end for engaging body-carried manure and fordistributing such manure outwardly through said discharge end; feedmeans carried by the body and engaging the manure therein and optionallymovable forwardly or rearwardly to feed the manure either rearwardlytoward the beater means or forwardly away from the beater means;selectively engageable and disengageable beater drive means on the bodyand connectedto" the beater means for selectively stopping and runningthe beater means; selectively engageable; reversible and disengageablefeed drive means on the body and connected to the feed means forselectively idling the feed means or for driving the feed means eitherrearwardly or forwardly; a beater control member connected to the beaterdrive means and movable on the body forwardly from a fixable stopposition to a' fixable run position and return for respectively runningand stopping the beater means; a feed control member connected to thefeed drive means and" movable on the body forwardly from a fixable neutralposition, in which the feed means is idle, to a fixable feedposition, for driving the feed means rearwardly, and movable rearwardlyfrom said neutral position to a reverse position for drivingthefeedmeans forwardly; saidcontrol members being arranged so that they aresubstantially in side-by-side relationship when they are respectively intheir stop and neutral positions; first lug means on the feed controlmember and engaging the beater control member from behind when themembers are respectively in their stop and neutral positions so that thefeed control member is precluded from forward movement until the beatercontrol member is first moved forwardly; and second lug means on thefeed control member and spaced forwardly thereof and engageable with thefront of the beater control member so that the beater control member isprecluded from rearward movement to its reverse position while thebeater control mem-' her is in its run position.

7. The invention defined in claim 6, in which: yielding means is carriedby the body and positioned in" the pathof rearward movement of the feedcontrol member from its neutral position for afiording resistance tosuch rearward movement.

8. In a manure spreader: a mobile fore-and-aft extending body havingfront and rear ends and adapted to contain manure, said rear endcomprising a discharge outlet; beater means movably carried by the bodyat its dischargeend for engaging body-carried manure and fordistributing such manure outwardly through said discharge end; feedmeans carried by the body and engaging the manure therein and optionallymovable forwardly or rearwardly to feed the manure either rearwardlytoward the beater means or forwardly away from the beater means;selectively engageable and disengageable beater drive means on the bodyand connected to the beater means for selectively stopping and runningthe beater means; selectively engageable, reversible and disengageable'feed drive means on the body and connectedt'o the:

feed means for selectively idling thefeed means or for driving the feedmeans either rearwardly or forwardly;

a beater control member connected to the beater drive:

forwardly; said control members being arranged so that they aresubstantially'in side-by-side relationship when they are respectivelyin. their stop and neutral positions; and limit means connected to onemember and projecting into the path of movement of the other member andeffective to preclude forward movement of the heater to its run positionwhile the feed control member is in its neutral position.

9. In a manurespreader: arnobile fore-and-aft extending body havingfront and rear ends and adapted to. contain manure, said rear'endcomprising a discharge outlet; beater m ea-nsmovably' carried by thebody atits discharge end for engaging body-carried manure and fordistributing s-ucli manure em'wardly through saiddisc'har'ge" end; feedmeans c'a'rried by'the' body and engag= ing the manure therein andoptionally m'ovable'forwardly' orre'arwardl'y to feed them-entire eitherrearwardly to ward the beater means or forwardly away from the beatermeans; selectively engageable and disengageable beater drive means onthe body and connected to the beater means forselectively stopping andrunning the beater means; selectively engageable, reversible anddisengageable feed drive means on the body and connected to the feedmeans for selectively idling the feed means or for driving the feedmeanseither' rearwardly or forwardly; a beater control member connected tothe beater drive means and movable on the body forwardly from a fixablestop position to a fiXable run position andre turn for respectivelyrunning and stopping the beater means; a feed controlmemberv connectedto the feed drive means and movable on the body forwardly" frena'fixable' neutral position, in which the feed means is idle, to a fixablefeed position,- for driving the feed" means rearwardly,-andmovablerearwardly from saidneutral position toareverse position fordriving the feed means forwardly; said controlmembers being arranged sothat they are substantially in side-by-side relationship when they are"respectively in their stop andneutral positions; and" limit meansconnected to' one memberand projecting intothe pathof movement of theother memher and effective to preclude re'ar'Wa'rd movement of the feedcontrol member from it's neutralposition while the beater control memberis in'its run position.

10. The invention defined in claim 9; in which: said limit meansprovides a fore-and-aft lost-motion range enabling free fore-and-aftmovementof the beatercon trol member from its neutral position to itsfeed position and return.

11. The inventiondefined inclai'rn 9, in which: yielding means iscarriedby the body and positioned to engage the feed control membersubstantially at the neutral position thereof to afford resistance tomovement of the feed control member to its reverse position when thebeater control member is moved to its stop position.

12. In a manure spreader: a manure-containing body having opposite ends,one of which is adischarge end; beater means carried by the body at itsdischarge end for engaging body-contained manure to distribute suchmanure outwardly of said discharge" end; feed means carriedby thebody'a'nd arranged for movement selectively in a feed direction to feedbody-containedmanure toward the discharge end and beater meansor in areversedirection to carry'such' manure toward the opposite end of thebody and away from the beater means; beater drive means on the body andconnected to the beater for selectively running or stopping the beater;reversible feed drive means on the body and connected to the feed meansfor driving the feed means optionally in a feed direction or a reversedirection; a beater control member" connected to the beater drive meansand shiftable on the body between run and stop positions to respectivelyrun or stop the beater; a feed control member connected to the feeddrive means and shiftable on the body adjacent to the beater controlmember between feed and reverse positions to respectively operate thefeed means in feed or reverse directions; first interlock meansoperative between the control members for preventing shifting of tiefeed control member'to' its reverse position until the beater controlmember is first moved to its stop position; and second interlock meansoperative between the coo trol members for preventing shifting of thebeater con-= trol member to its stop position while the feed controlmember is in its feed position.

13. In a manure spreader: a mobile"foreand aft' eX- tending body havingfro'nt'and rear ends and adapted to containm'an'ure, said rear endcomprising adisch'arge outlet; beaterrmeansimovably' carried by'the'bodyati't's discharge end for engaging body-carried manure and fordistributing such manure outwardly through said discharge end; feedmeans carried by the body and engaging the manure therein and optionallymovable forwardly or rearwardly to feed the manure either rearwardlytoward the beater means or forwardly away from the beater means;selectively engageable and disengageable beater drive means on the bodyand connected to the beater means for selectively stopping and runningthe beater means; selectively engageable, reversible and disengageablefeed drive means on the body and connected to the feed means forselectively idling the feed means or for driving the feed means eitherrearwardly or forwardly; a beater control member connected to the beaterdrive means and movable on the body forwardly from a fixable stopposition to a fixable run position and return for respectively runningand stopping the beater means; a feed control member connected to thefeed drive means and movable on the body forwardly from a fixableneutral position, in which the feed means is idle, to a fixable feedposition, for driving the feed means rearwardly, and movable rearwardlyfrom said neutral position to a reverse position for driving the feedmeans forwardly; and limit means including cooperatively interengageableportions of the control members effective to confine the feed controlmember to fore-and-aft movement between its neutral and feed positionswhile the beater control member is in its run position.

14. Reversible conveyor driving mechanism: comprising a pair ofrelatively reversely disposed ratchet wheels mounted for rotation abouta common axis, a drive element, power means for causing harmonic motionof same transversely to said common axis, driving pawls carried by saiddrive element for operative engagement with the respective wheels,holding pawls operatively associated with the respective wheels, andbafiie means comprising a unitary structure overlying the peripheries ofboth said wheels and selectively interposa'ble between either of saidwheels and its respective driving and holding pawls to render someinoperative while exposing the other of said wheels for coaction withits cooperating driving and holding pawls, said baffle means beingadjustable about said common axis.

15. Conveyor driving mechanism comprising a pair of relatively reverselydisposed ratchet wheels mounted for rotation about a common axis, adrive element oscillatable about said common axis, power means foroscillating same, driving pawls carried by said drive element foroperative engagement with the respective wheels, holding pawlsperatively associated with the respective wheels, and bafile meanscomprising a unitary structure overlying the peripheries of both saidwheels and selectively interposable between either 09 said wheels andits respective driving and holding pawls to render same inoperativewhile exposing the other of said wheels for coaction with itscooperating driving and holding pawls, 'said bafiie means beingadjustable about said common axis.

16. Reversible conveyor driving mechanism comprising a first ratchetwheel and a second ratchet wheel, disposed for relatively reverserotation about a common axis and connected to a common driven member, adrive element oscillatable about said common axis and power means foroscillating same, driving pawls carried by said drive element foroperative engagement with the respective wheels, holding pawlsoperatively associated with the respective wheels, and a baflieadjustable about said common axis,

said bafile having a section adjustable therewith to expose said firstwheel for coaction with its driving pawl for varying portions of thestroke of the latter, and sections positioned to prevent operativeengagement of the second wheel by its respective pawls throughout suchexposure of the first wheel, said first named section of the bafflebeing positioned to prevent engagement of the first wheel by its drivingpawl as the bafile is adjusted to expose the said second wheel foroperative engagement by its respective pawls, and means for renderingthe holding pawl of said first wheel inoperative during said lastmentioned adjustment.

17. Reversible conveyor driving mechanism comprising a first ratchetwheel and a second ratchet wheel, disposed for relatively reverserotation about a common axis and connected to a common driven member, adrive element, power means for causing harmonic motion of said driveelements transversely to said common axis, driving pawls carried by saiddrive element for operative engagement with the respective wheels,holding pawls operatively associated with the respective wheels, and abaffle adjustable about said common axis, said baffle having a sectionadjustable therewith to expose said first wheel for coaction with itsdriving pawl for varying portions of the driving stroke of the latter,and sections positioned to prevent operative engagement of the secondwheel by its respective pawls throughout such exposure of the firstwheel, said first named section of the bafile being positioned toprevent engagement of the first wheel by its driving pawl as the bafileis adjusted to expose the said second wheel for operative engagement byitst respective pawls.

18. A reversible conveyor driving mechanism comprising a first ratchetwheel and a second ratchet wheel, disposed for relatively reverserotation about a common axis, a drive element oscillatable about saidcommon axis and power means for oscillating same, driving pawls carriedby said drive element for operative engagement with the respectivewheels, holding pawls operatively associated with the respective wheels,and a battle disposed for adjustment between said wheels and theirrespective pawls, said baflle having a section adjustable therewith toexpose said first wheel for coa'ction with its driving pawl for varyingportions of the driving stroke of the latter, and sections positioned toprevent operative en gagement of the second wheel by itst respectivepawls throughout such exposure of the first wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent or the original patentUNITED STATES PATENTS West July

